Hand lettering is not an easy task, but once you learn the basics then there is nothing as simpler than this. Lettering is quite different from calligraphy so it should not be confused with the latter; it is actually writing in a very graceful manner. Hand lettering is all about drawing and it can be seen everywhere from the menus to the ad campaigns and street signs. It can be quite daunting for those who are just starting with hand lettering, which is why learning all the basics of lettering before starting with it is necessary.
How to start with hand lettering?
Here is a step by step guide of hand lettering for beginner, with this even those with no experience in hand lettering can become professionals:
Choose the right stationery
- Choosing the pens and the pencils- It is important to have a proper supply of pens and pencils before starting with hand lettering as having the right supply of these things makes it easier for one to learn lettering. Any pencil would actually do and in pens there are a lot of different pens to choose from; there is the normal pen which is used for everyday writing work and then there is the fountain pen and one is free to use any colour of ink. It is completely your discretion to choose the right kind of pen according to your preference.
- Paper- At the start one can use any sketchbook for practicing and sketching otherwise this is a huge category. There is the tracing paper which is good when starting out as it has a nice smooth surface, then there is also the graph paper which is good for those who are professionals at hand lettering. Bristol paper is the perfect hand lettering paper for those who have had enough practice at hand lettering as it has a smooth surface.
Once paper, pen and pencil is finalised it is always good to do some warm up exercise by making straight lines, then moving to some curves and shapes. This helps in getting a hang of working with pen and pencils and for practicing the lines, curves and spacing.
Start with lettering
Once you are sure with the basic formation of the letters then you can start with hand lettering. A person then gets the freedom to draw and write anything as they want; there is also the freedom of experimenting. You can write and draw the same letter in a number of ways, even fill the entire page with them, but practice is the key to become perfect. There are quite a lot of online tutorials that are there for hand lettering for beginner, which are also pretty helpful.